Out of the Light and Into the Darkness
by hanatsukiko25
Summary: Nami and Akahana Otonashi are sisters who came to Konoha for the Chuunin Exams. Finally out of hiatus! Later NamixKankuro and AkahanaxSasuke.
1. Arrival

"I have to admit. Konoha is pretty nice." Nami cheerfully commented looking at her sister. Akahana looked back at her sister smiling. "I know I can't wait! If we have time we should stop by at Tanzaku Town. I heard they have A LOT of tourist attractions!" Akahana says dreamily.

"I can't wait until the Chuunin Exams! I bet the Sand Sibs are gonna kick some-" Nami suddenly stopped when she saw Kankuro holding a little boy up by the collar of his shirt. Temari was behind him and looked a little worried.

"KANKURO! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?" Nami shouted.

Kankuro turned his head. "Nami?" He asked, surprised.

"I know who I am! Who the hell do you think you are? You should know better than to be so cruel to a little kid!" Nami angrily hollered at Kankuro. While Nami talked, Akahana hit Kankuro's arm and the boy fell.

"Hey, what's your name?" She asked the boy.

"Uhh, Konohamaru…" The boy said, rubbing his head from the fall.

Akahana nodded, "Nami, we need to hurry and get a place at an Inn in the village. Kankuro, if we ever catch you doing that again, you'll be beaten to a pulp. Understood you two?" Akahana asks. Kankuro stays silent. "You'd better be happy Gaara didn't see you, Kankuro. Temari, next time this happens stop him. I would have expected you to at least help out a little." Nami said then turned around and started walking past a girl with pink hair, and a boy with blonde hair, and two kids. Akahana was beside her.

"Nami, are you hungry?" Akahana asks. "A little, I guess." Nami replied. Akahana nodded.

"Are you?" Nami asked. "Well, a little bit, but if you want we could stop by somewhere to eat..." She said. Nami sighed, "I just want to get to the Inn already..." Akahana looked down, "Yeah..." she replied. "Well, come on. We'd better hurry up." Nami says cheerfully. Akahana smiles and starts running. "Come on, I can see Kidoko Inn from here!" Akahana yells happily. Nami runs after Akahana, "I thought you were tired!"

"Maybe I was just lazy. I don't think anyone has accused me for not having energy!" Akahana shouted cheerfully.

"I swear sometimes it feels like I'm the older one." Nami teased. Akahana stopped. Nami tilted her head slightly, "It was just a joke. You okay?"

"It's going to rain. Sorry I confused you." Akahana looked up.

"Yes! Finally! I love rain!" Nami shouted.

It began to rain. "Me too! Hey, do you think we could...camp outside tonight? I have a friend here that could lend us a tent..." Akahana asked. "Sure! It's not like we see rain every day!" Nami said smiling.

"Hey, you wait here for a sec she doesn't live too far from here, ok?" Akahana asked. "Okay!" Nami said and sat on the wet ground grinning.

Akahana runs to a girl named Kira and tells her everything. Akahana comes back five minutes later. At this point Nami's boredom had gotten the best of her and she was...making...mud angels. It's best not to ask any questions. Akahana twitched. _'I'm sooooo not asking. And she says sometimes SHE thinks she's older.'_ Akahana laughed to herself, then set up a tent and then went back to check on Nami.

Nami was already bored with her mud angel and running around in circles trying to stay awake. "Nami! Come here!" she shouted over the rain. Nami ran over to her sister and shouted half asleep, "DID YOU SEE MY MUD ANGEL!"

_'God it's like she got drunk or something. NOTE TO SELF-do not leave Nami alone or she will get bored and possibly fall asleep.' _ Akahana noted, noticing her blood shot eyes.

"Nami let's get you to bed..." Akahana says, pushing her sister into the direction of the tent. Nami smiled and replied, "Sure!"

That night everything went smoothly. They both went to bed and woke up in enough time to leave the tent there [to stay in] and get breakfast at a Tea Shop. "I seriously, made a mud angel?" Nami asked twitching.

"Y-yeah...maybe I shouldn't leave you bored EVER again..." Akahana laughed.

"I don't even remember it..." Nami said, rubbing her head.

"Have you drank or have eaten anything strange? Has this happen before?" Akahana questioned.

"I don't know!" Nami shouted, confused.

"You've got mud in your hair."

Nami turned around to see Kankuro standing in front of her smirking. "I do?" Nami asked.

Akahana walked over to Kankuro to see. "Yeah...you do." Akahana stated. "I guess this is proof I did make a mud angel. Damn it!" Nami said frustrated.

"Mud angel?" Kankuro asked. Akahana sighed. "Don't ask..." she said.

Kankuro reached and pulled out some of the mud in Nami's hair. "OW!" Nami yelled in pain. "Sorry, but you shouldn't be making any mud angels." Kankuro laughed. "Oh funny! But for your information, once I get bored I have no control over what I do." Nami said, now a bit mad.

Akahana nodded. "She was born this way. Once she gets bored..." Akahana shivers like she's being watched, "There's no telling what she'll do..." Akahana said.

Kankuro smirks, "Oh really? Like what?" He asks, now interested. "Oh, besides the mud angel? Uhh...one time I dressed my cat up like a baby. OH! And that time I put make up on your face when you were 4, oh and when I painted your finger nails ruby red!" Nami said smiling.

"YOU'RE THE ONE THAT DID THAT?" Kankuro shouts. "Mmmhmm!" Nami said cheerfully. Akahana smacks her hand on her forehead. "And you realized this...NOW?" She asks.

"Temari said it was that kid across the street!" Kankuro yelled. "Yes, but she's been my friend forever and she'd never tell on me. DUH!" Nami said laughing.

Akahana laughs, "That's Temari for ya..." she says. "You really have no control over yourself, do you Nami?" Kankuro asks. "Nope!" Nami says, still smiling. "Nami...I'd run right now." Akahana says, laughing.

"Why? I know for a fact no matter how much he wants to Kankuro can't hurt me." Nami says happily. "Umm...never mind." Akahana replies. "Hey Kankuro, do you know where Garra is?" She asks.

"Yeah, he's with Temari at the hotel." Kankuro answered. Akahana nods. "I need to get going somewhere... Nami I'll meet you back here tonight, ok? Oh, I'll leave you two alone..." Akahana winks and runs off.

Nami's face turns red from embarrassment and anger, "AKANANA!" She shouts. "Like I said...I should get going." Akahana winks again.

Nami blushes even more. "She really knows how to get to you." Kankuro says with a chuckle. "Stick a sock in it!" Nami said glaring at Kankuro.

Akahana's head pops up again. "Oh and when I come back here and you guys are in the tent...keep the tent open, ok?" Akahana laughs. "YOU'D BETTER SLEEP WITH ONE EYE OPENED TONIGHT!" Nami shouts. "Sure Nami sure OH and you'll wake up not knowing you're in bed with Kankuro!" Akahana began to walk to the hotel.

Nami and Kankuro just stood there with their faces completely red. "Did she just say?" Kankuro asked. "Yes, and I might kill her in her sleep tonight." Nami answered.

Akahana sighed on her way to the hotel. "It's the way it has always been. It was always just Nami and I, and then Kankuro, Temari, and Garra. If something were to happen to Nami, I don't think I could ever forgive myself."

Kankuro was looking at Nami. "What?" Nami asks. "Nothing..." he says. "I wonder what her problem is..." she said angrily.

Akahana finally got to the hotel. She knocked on the door to her best friend's hotel room. "Temari-chan, it's me, Akahana!" She shouted.

Temari opens the door, "Hey Akahana-chan! What are you doing here?" She asked. Akahana smiled, nodding to her. "Well, I guess to visit and talk."

Temari smiled back and stepped aside, "Alright, come on in." Akahana sat down, as well as Temari and Garra. "I'm surprised Nami didn't tag along." Temari commented. "She's hanging with Kankuro. I think they've fallen for each other." She said, smiling.

"You're just noticing? Kankuro's liked Nami for I'd say five years now. It's written all over his face. As for Nami I can never tell what she's thinking." Temari said with a laugh.

"Yeah...but I have this very bad feeling in my mind, like something bad is going to happen to me..." Akahana stared at the ground as she spoke, biting her lip in confusion. "Like what?" Gaara asked, looking her in the eye.

"It was a dream. I was walking in Suna and on my way to my house, a man appeared in front of me...he had dark black hair and the _palest_ skin I've ever seen in my life. He was about to ask me something until I woke up. I was woken up by Nami because I was screaming in my sleep. I don't know if I've seen this man before or this is just a warning for me to get ready to meet him. That's why I came to you guys to talk about it, because I don't know how Nami would react..." She said, looking up to them with a concerned expression.

"Maybe we shouldn't tell Nami. She'll freak if you tell her." Temari said, looking at her friend. "Nothing will happen to you. You have all of us there with you." Gaara said with his emotionless voice. Akahana nodded. "Let's just see what happens, ok? Thanks guys, I can always count on you. I'll tell you if anything does happen, ok?" She said. "Be careful, Akahana." Temari said with her sisterly voice. "I will. Thank you, Temari, Garra. Just don't tell Kankuro either, or he might tell Nami." she said thankfully, bowing to her friends goodbye.

Meanwhile, Kankuro was trying to find out what else Nami had done when she was bored. "Oh! And when I painted my bedroom door like a rainbow, and-" Nami was cut off by Kankuro. "Okay, I think that's enough." Kankuro said, tiredly.

"Well, what do you want to do? I'm bored." Nami said.

"Want to go to my house?" He asked. "Kankuro, that's in the Suna. If you haven't noticed we're in Konoha." Nami answered sarcastically. "I meant the Hotel." He anime sweat dropped. "If you would have said room it would have made more since." Nami commented.

"So are you?" He asked. Nami noticed the twinkle in his eye, and it seemed that Kankuro really wanted her to say yes.

"Sure, I've got nothing else to do." She replied.

"Ok, let's go." He said. Nami sighed, "Must you announce everything your about to do?" She asked. Kankuro sighed. "Just come on. I bet your sister is there, too." He said. Nami giggled, "Alright, lead the way."

Kankuro and Nami finally got to the hotel. Kankuro opened the door. "Hey Gaara, Temari, look who I brought." Kankuro said, smiling.

Nami walked in, "Hey guys!"

"What's up Nami-chan?" Temari greeted. "Last time I checked the ceiling." Nami paused and looked up, "Yep, still up there."

Temari laughed. "So, are you ready for the Chuunin Exams?" She asked. "Yeah, I guess. And you?" Nami asks, taking a seat at their table. "Yep, as always." She sighed, "You don't seem at all excited. What's wrong?" Nami asked curiously.

_'I can't tell her about Akahana, or she'll freak.'_ Temari thought.

"Um, it's nothing, really." Temari said, trying to hide it. Nami tilted her head slightly, "Are you sure? You seem a little jumpy." Nami commented.

"Oh, I'm fine, really." Temari said, still trying to hide it. Nami blinked, "If you say so, Temari."

"What have you guys been talking about?" Kankuro asked Temari.

"Um, girl stuff. Nothing much." Temari lied.

Kankuro looked at Nami and stated, "I'm so out of the loop." Nami looked at him with wide eyes and said, "I didn't even know there was a loop."

Temari looked down, worried and serious at the same time.

_'Akahana said she saw a man with black hair and the palest skin she ever saw...that HAS to be Orochimaru. I'll tell her tomorrow more about Orochimaru. What if Orochimaru takes her as one of his own? What if he gets her into something she'll really agree with? What if she agrees and joins? This is very stressing...'_ Temari thought, turning to Nami.

Nami whispered to Kankuro, "Dude, your sister's kind of freaking me out." "Same here. She's never this way." He whispered back.

"I'll see you guys later. I'm gonna go for a walk." Nami says opening the door.

A few minutes later Nami was lying down in the tent. _'Why the hell am I so dizzy?'_ Nami thought. Suddenly, she heard footsteps. Nami sat up. "Who's there?" she asked. "It's me, Akahana."

Nami sighs in relief, "Okay then. You scared me." She said and lay back down. "Oh, sorry." Akahana sighed. She fell asleep the instant she laid down. Nami anime sweat dropped. _'She must have been really tired.' _A few minutes later, Nami fell into a deep sleep.


	2. Untold Secret

Nami woke up in a shock, sweating and panting. She had that same dream again. Every time she would go to sleep, it would start out with her and Kankuro joking around and next thing she knew she was falling down an endless hole. She wasn't sure what it meant, but it had been tormenting her for months now. She turned and saw blood on Akahana's sleeping bag. The next thing she knew, she heard Akahana scream.

Nami shook her sister, "AKAHANA! AKAHANA! WAKE UP!" she hollered, shaking her sister mildly.

Akahana sat up quickly. She began coughing up blood, "AKAHANA!" She shouted again, desperately trying to wake her up. "Come on, we'll get you some help!"

Nami ran outside to try and find someone-anyone. She bumped into the blonde boy she had seen yesterday. "Hey! I know you! You're that boy that helped Konohamaru!" She shouted to him.

With the boy was an old man, with a strange but different head band and long white hair. "Listen, I don't know who you are, but I need your help! Something's wrong with my sister! She's coughing up blood!" Nami asked, begging for an answer.

The old man with the boy turned to her, "Coughing up blood?" His face held an expression of concern.

"Yes! Could you please help her? Please! I'm begging you!" She begged, looking into the older man's black eyes. The younger blonde stood there, taking in what Nami was saying carefully. His expression too turned towards concern.

"I'll see what I can do." The older man answered after a few minutes of thinking. "Where is she now?"

"She's in our tent. Follow me." Nami lead them to the tent. Akahana was still coughing up blood, and it had grown worse than earlier.

"She's in there." Nami opened the tent and let them in first. The older man hovered over her, checking her neck for a pulse. "Has anything like this happened to her before?" He asked, turning to Nami. "No. I'm pretty sure it hasn't."

He nodded. "It would be best if we brought her to the hospital right away." He answered, putting her on his back.

"Where is the hospital?" Nami asked. "Don't worry about that. Just follow me."

"Are you sure about this Pervy Sage?" The blonde boy asked, turning to the older man. "I know what I'm doing, kid. We'll get back to your training as soon as this is over."

They arrived at the Konoha Hospital and immediately brought Akahana to the nurse. The older man and the blonde turned to Nami. Before she could say anything, Nami spoke up first. "Thank you for helping, guys. If it weren't for you, my sister probably wouldn't have had a chance."

The two said nothing, and waved goodbye. She would never forget the video in her mind of the two off them fading into the distance.

An hour later, the same nurse from before came out of the emergency room. "Your friend seems to have been caught in some kind of genjutsu, most likely from when she had been sleeping. The genjutsu that had been performed on her was a jutsu that takes a lot of chakra to perform, and because of this we must keep her here longer to ensure that she is safe, and for the Hokage to take a look at the results we've found."

"What did the results say?" She asked anxiously.

The young nurse bit her lip, as if she were afraid to say anything that might upset her.

"The Hokage will explain it to you as soon as we inform him, that much I can promise."

"But you are in front of me, you actually know, and you're saying you can't tell me now?"

"As a nurse I do not know all of the details, and the Hokage is a much better and smarter person to explain it to you when the time will have come. Please understand this."

Nami sighed in dismay, "Can you tell me where her room is, then?"

The nurse searched for Akahana's name in the many papers on a single clipboard. "She's in room 168, just to the left of this hallway." She explained.

"Thank you." Nami walked through the hallways to the find her sister's room, and entered quietly.

Her sister was lying down in the hospital bed, beneath the white covers. Her pale blond hair shone like moonlight through the slightly opened window, and her azure eyes were closed, her face drained of any kind of happiness. The nurse had put her under life support, the nozzle like thing on her face.

Nami sighed, the stress of today building up inside of her "Great. This is just great."

The door opened and Nami turned around to see Temari, Gaara, and Kankuro. "Hey. How is she?" Temari asked, walking over to her bed.

"I'm not completely sure." Nami said blankly, her face completely expressionless. Temari studied her expression.

_'Could it be that she had the same dream that she had been telling Garra and me yesterday? It looks as if…Orochimaru might have used some kind of genjutsu on her!'_

Temari looked away from Nami, biting her lip in frustration.

'_Dammit! I have no idea when or how to tell Nami what's going on, but I have this really bad feeling that something is going to happen soon. Really soon, too." _

Suddenly, Akahana began to mutter words. "Go away...I won't join you...Nami…my sister…needs me."

"Who Akahana? WHO!" Nami said loudly, running to her side. "Orochimaru...N-Nami...somebody..." she muttered again, tossing and turning in her sleep.

'_Amazing! She's been around Nami so much she can actually hear her in her dreams.'_

"Orochi...maru?" Nami asked herself, knowing she had heard that name somewhere before. _'Why does that name sound so familiar?' _She kept asking herself.

You can't...annihilate…Konoha!" She shouted in her sleep.

Nami shook her sister softly, "Akahana! Come on! Wake up! Open your eyes. Don't worry, I'm here. I promise they won't get you!"

Akahana sat up quickly, "I won't let you!" She pulled off the nozzle thing the nurse had used to help her breath. She was sweating again, and the stress was building inside Akahana a lot worse than it was for Nami.

"AKAHANA!" Nami pulled her sister into a hug.

Akahana wasn't smiling. It wasn't showing very much of anything else, either, besides stress written across her forehead.

"N-Nami..." she began, turning to her younger sister.

"I'm so glad you're okay." Nami said.

"Nami, listen, there's something I have to tell you. For the past few days I've been having these really weird dreams- dreams of a snake like man with endless locks of onyx hair and terrifying amber eyes, and the palest skin I have ever seen. The man stated himself as Orochimaru, and he had been trying to ask me to do him a favor for the past few days in my dreams. He came through this time, and said if I healed his arms, in exchange he would make me very, very strong, even stronger than the Hokage himself."

"What did you tell him?"

"I said…I told him I didn't know. He warned me that if I didn't have an answer in a week's time, he would show up anyway to hear my answer."

"He's not going to get to you. Not while I'm around." Nami reassured her, still hugging her sister.

"Nami…I want you to know that no matter what happens I'll make the right choice. Not just for us, but for everyone."

Nami held back her tears, and said the first thing that came to mind.

"This is your choice. We've done everything together. Do what you want. This time, it's only you."

Akahana nodded. "Thanks, Nami."

"You're strong enough as it is. You've kicked Temari and Kankuro's asses every time you've faced them. You've even kicked mine." Nami said with a slight laugh, lightening up the mood.

"Hey, that was one time!" Kankuro shouted.

"Yeah, but she can still kick your ass." Temari said with a smirk. Akahana began to lighten up. "Yeah, I guess you're right. It's just, damn...Temari, when's the Chuunin Exams?" she asked, trying to pull all of the pieces together.

"In three days." Temari answered, watching her friends thinking expression.

Akahana looked up, trying to think. "I wonder who I'm going to be facing..." She wondered aloud.

"I wouldn't worry about that. I'm sure you'll beat anyone you go against. Unless it's me of course!" Kankuro said with a confident smirk. Temari and Nami both smacked the back of his head. "OW! Can't you two take a joke?" Kankuro asked, rubbing the back of his head.

"I can. It's just fun hitting you." Nami said, grinning. Akahana laughed. "Me too. I just have to put Orochimaru to the side and put the Chuunin Exams in front of me now." She decided.

"There's the Akahana I know!" Kankuro smiled.

"I can't wait for the Chuunin Exams!" She shouted cheerfully, letting all of the stress dissolve into the unknown.

Akahana got out of her bed and stretched. "Well then, I guess I should get breakfast or something."

"Don't get too excited. You really should be training." Nami insisted.

Akahana gasped. "Nami, you want to train together?" She asked, realizing how much fun it would be.

"Sure...was the gasping really needed?" Nami asked, laughing at her sister's reaction.

Akahana anime sweat dropped. "Sorry, haha…I just feel so much better."

Nami smiled, "Well come on. Are we going or not?" She asked, getting up to leave.

"You bet we are!" Akahana ran out the door faster than the four of them could blink. "Come on!" She shouted, her voice trailing through the hallways.

"Yep, she's back to normal. Later guys!" Nami shouted and chased after Akahana.

_'She can go through the most painful things, and still feel content. That's Akahana for you.'_ Temari thought, watching Nami catch up with her sister.

"So, what now?" Kankuro asked Temari, the boredom on his face clearly showing. "I'm going to get something to eat. See ya!" Temari laughed, leaving the room as well. Kankuro looked at Gaara. "I'm going back to the hotel." Gaara said with his serious face, leaving the room and following behind his sister. "I feel lonely..." Kankuro stood there for a minute. "HEY TEMARI! WAIT UP!" Kankuro shouted and ran after his sister.

Meanwhile, at the training field...

There was a loud grumble. "Was that your stomach or mine?" Nami asked, turning towards a worn out Akahana.

"I think that was mine…" She laughed, looking up towards the gorgeous, impossibly blue sky that afternoon. "Well, I'm hungry anyways. We'll eat than start training again." Nami said with a laugh.

"Ok, I guess you're right. You want to go to that tea shop down the road or..." She began to say, Nami finishing her sentence. "The tea shop sounds nice. Come on!" Nami said cheerfully as she began to run. "Hey! Wait up!" Akahana ran after her.

Nami didn't stop and was laughing, which made her breathe even harder. "BREATHE WOMAN BREATHE!" Akahana shouted while laughing. "I AM!" Nami was hardly able to yell. "Sure..." Akahana laughed.

Once they came close to the tea shop, Nami fell on the ground, "I'M OKAY!" She shouted, laughing as her sister helped her rise to her feet.

"Well, be careful next time, okay?" Akahana said, concern filling her voice.

Nami laughed, "I make no promises I can't keep."

"Well, maybe you should think about that one." Akahana laughed with her, walking towards the tea shop.

Nami stood up, "Come on. Enough thinking, I'm starving." She exclaimed, hurrying into the tea shop.

They finally got to the Tea Shop. They both walked in.

The two entered the crowded tea shop, villagers from all over sitting and having conversation with friends and family.

They sat at an empty table in the farthest corner of the room, the only table left in the restaurant.

"I'm getting Miso Soup, what are you getting?" She asked, flipping through the mini menu book that was left on the table.

"Same I guess. I don't really care, anything sounds good right now." Nami sighed, getting impatient. Akahana nodded, "I'll be right back, okay?"

A few minutes later, Akahana came back with two bowls and two pairs of chopsticks. She set them down carefully and gave Nami her pair of chopsticks.

"Eat up!" She said cheerfully, ripping the pack her chopsticks came in.

"You don't have to tell me twice!" Nami shouted and started to eat.

After a while, they were finished and started to leave the restaurant after paying.

"Man, that was delicious." Nami commented, licking her fingers.

Akahana laughed, "How did I know you were going to say something about the food?"

As soon as she said that, she saw a flash of purple fly by her, like a lightning fast bird diving off of a cliff. She could see the persons face, she could that it was…it was _him_.

The snake like man in her dreams…Orochimaru.

She gasped and looked around for him, but found nothing.

Nami gave her a confused look. "Uh, are you okay?"

Akahana brushed it off, trying to forget what she just saw. "Yeah, I'm fine, must have just been whiplash or something."

The two arrived at the training grounds to have another good training session. They trained together for three hours straight, collapsing to the ground at the time mark.

"That was good training. What do you think?" Akahana asked, turning her head towards her sister.

"I think, we train too damn much." Nami laughed, plopping to the ground.

"Y-yeah, I think we're ready." She said, standing up and panting. "Wanna go see what the Sand Sibs are up to?" Nami asked, standing and dusting herself off. "Ok, let's go. I need to talk to Temari anyway." Akahana agreed.

They started for the Hotel, and when they got there they saw the blonde haired boy from before, a bluish black haired boy, and a pink haired girl. "What's the floor number again? I wasn't paying attention when I came here with Kankuro." Nami asked, looking around at the doors through the hallway.

"Hmm...I believe it's 34." Akahana answered. "HEY, I KNOW YOU!" The blonde boy yelled at the top of his lungs. Nami covered her ears in pain, "Dammit." She said, not caring who heard. "Oh yeah, I think I've seen you before...I just can't remember." Akahana said, lost in thought.

"You both helped Konohamaru, and then Pervy sage and I took you to the hospital." He answered, explaining what happened. She sat there, trying to remember anything that happened in-between going to the hospital and waking up.

She shook it away. "Oh, you did? Thank you for that. My name is Akahana, what's yours?"

"Naruto Uzumaki! I'm gonna be Hokage someday! Believe it!" The boy shouted excitedly. Akahana smiled. "I hope your dream comes true...my dream when I was little was to be a strong Kunoichi, so I already fulfilled my dream." She said, shrugging her shoulders.

"You can say that again." Nami said, looking at the bruise on her arm Akahana had given her during training. Akahana anime sweat dropped. "Yeah...haha, um we should REALLY be going to our friend's room, Nami. Oh, once again, thank you, Naruto, for bringing me to the hospital. That was thoughtful of you." She nodded, heading into the other direction.

"No problem!" Naruto shouted happily, starting to leave with her friends. The black haired boy with bluish tints stared at her and blushed a bit. Nami was already at the elevator, "COME ON! HURRY UP!" She shouted to her sister.

Akahana ran as fast as she could. "See ya Naruto!" She shouted as she went into the elevator. "What floor are they on?" Nami asked. "34."

Nami pressed number 34 on the elevators button and said, "How many floors can a hotel have?" Akahana leaned back on the wall and laughed. "Many more than we thought, I guess."

The elevator stopped and let them off, the two racing towards their friend's room. They knocked on the door, "Hey Temari-chan, it's me and Nami!" She shouted.

The door opened, but it was Garra instead. "Temari's not here. It's only me and Kankuro."

"Oh, okay." Akahana came in and sat down. "Hey, Kankuro-kun." Nami greeted, smiling.

"Hey." He said back. "Where is Temari?" Nami asked Gaara. "She said she was going for a walk." He said simply. Nami sighed in boredom. Akahana looked as if she was lost in thought.

Nami tilted her head, "You okay, Akahana-chan?" She asked. Akahana looked up. "I'm fine." She said with a sigh. Suddenly, the door opened and Temari walked in. "Hey."

"Hey, Akahana. Come on, we need to talk." Temari said, sounding stressed as she pulled Akahana into the other room. Akahana just nodded and followed. Nami looked over at Kankuro and said, "Why is it that I'm always so far out of the loop?" Kankuro anime sweat dropped. "Beats me..."

Nami walked over to Kankuro. "You've been acting weird. Are you alright?"

_'I can't tell her about Akahana...or at least what Temari is going to talk to her about.'_

"Oh, sorry. Just tired." He yawned, leaning back into his chair. Nami looked at him with an upset expression.

"I'll see you later." Nami said, walking out and slamming the door shut behind her. Kankuro sighed sadly.

"I need to ask Temari when we can tell her, I can't secrets from her like this." He admitted to himself aloud.

"Why don't you go find her? She couldn't have gotten far." Gaara said, lying on the couch across from him. "Do you think we should tell her?" He asked, hoping for a reasonable answer. "Let her cool off first. You know how Nami is." Gaara may have been a quiet person, but he liked to study the reactions of the people around him. He knew Akahana and Nami as if he were their own brother. Heck, he knew all of them like that. "Yeah. Ok." He replied, stepping outside to find her.

Nami was walking around the village, trying to understand what was going on around her. _'Why does it feel like everyone's hiding something from me?'_ Nami thought to herself. Suddenly, to her surprise, it started to rain. Nami stood still, and stated, "I hate my life."

A shadow came above her in an instant, "Come on, let's go back home. I'm sorry for what I said before." She looked up to see someone she really hadn't expected to see.

"Hmm? I thought you were tired?"

"You know I wouldn't leave you like that, all alone in this village to wander by yourself."

She smiled, following him back to the hotel. "Thanks, Kankuro."

Back with Temari and Akahana...

"I received some information about Orochimaru today," She explained, "and from what the Hokage has told me the information is not very good. His estimate was based off of the calculations from the genjutsu he put on you through your dreams."

"You mean the entire time I was under a strong genjutsu?"

"Yes. Based on his estimate, he should be here after the Chuunin Exams, if not sooner."

Akahana nodded solemnly, getting up to leave. "Thanks, Temari. When do you think we could tell Nami? She probably thinks we're hiding secrets from her."

Temari bit her lip. "I didn't want to get her involved, but I guess she knows us too well to know that we're hiding something from her. Don't worry, we'll all tell her together if you want."

Akahana nodded in agreement. "That sounds like a plan. See you later, Temari."

"See ya."

The pale blond left the hotel and headed for her and Nami's tent. As soon as she came in, she collapsed on her sleeping bag again, falling into much needed sleep for the next days to come.

Nami was sitting in the tent with her legs against her chest and arms wrapped tightly around her legs. She didn't want to go to sleep. She wanted to know what they were hiding from her, and she would not rest until she found out.


	3. Chuunin Exams

Akahana woke up in the middle of the night, seeing Nami awake. "Something wrong, Akahana? It's not like you to wake up all of the sudden." Nami said, looking at the ground.

"I'm fine, but are you? I didn't expect to see you awake."

Nami sighed, "What are you hiding from me?"

"Nami, listen…I'm sorry. Orochimaru might be coming sooner than we planned, that's all. We didn't want to worry you with all the details."

Nami didn't even glance at her sister. "You're not going to agree...are you?" Nami asked with a worried expression on her face.

Akahana sighed deeply, "No, at least I don't want to. There's no way in hell I'm going to leave you and everyone else like that. Even if…if I did, though, which I hope I don't, I want you to know that you're my younger sister, and I love you more than anything."

"Promise me you won't go." Nami said with teary eyes.

"I can't, Nami. I have no idea how strong this guy is, what he plans to do-"

"I won't let him hurt you! None of us will!"

"I know, I know. You know that if I do go, you have the Sand Sibs to be with you, right?"

"You're my sister, Akahana. It wouldn't be the same."

"Okay, okay. I promise that I will make the right choice."

Nami sighed, "Thanks Akahana."

"Goodnight, Nami."

"AKAHANA! WAKE UP! WAKE UP! THE CHUUNIN EXAMS ARE TODAY!" Nami yelled right in Akahana's ear.

Akahana jumped out of bed. "What time are we supposed to be there?" She asked, yawning while getting out of bed.

"IN AN HOUR!" Nami shouted, already dressed.

Akahana quickly got dressed and raced out of the tent.

"WELL COME ON, LET'S GO!"

"WAIT UP!" Nami shouted trying to catch up.

The two ran through Konoha and noticed the stadium from far away. It seemed as if millions to thousands of people came to just watch them fight.

The first person Nami noticed that was already there was Kankuro. "Hey! Kankuro-kun!"

Kankuro turned his head. "Hey Nami-chan!" He shouted back.

"Ya ready?" She asked, grinning.

"Yep, sure am."

"HEY!" Nami heard that annoying high-pitched voice again.

She looked back knowing she'd see Naruto. "Not again." She mumbled to herself.

"I KNOW YOU!" Naruto shouted. Nami put her face in her hands as if she were crying but was just annoyed. "Why won't you go away?" She asked in annoyed agony.

Naruto twitched. "W-whatever..." He turned to Akahana. "Hey Akahana!"

Akahana turned and smiled. "Hey Naruto-kun! Oh...if I end up fighting you. IF I do...I won't go easy on you!" she shouted. "And I'm not afraid to beat up a girl." Naruto said with a laugh.

Akahana turned and smiled. "Hey Naruto-kun. If we're facing each other in battle, I won't go easy on you."

"And I'm not afraid to beat a girl." Naruto said with a laugh.

Kankuro looked at Nami, "Uhh?" He said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Are you alright?"

Nami's eye twitched, "Peachy." She answered, watching Akahana and Naruto.

Akahana looked at Naruto like she were about to beat him to a bloody pulp. "You want to pick a fight with me, squirt? I bet you five bucks that you can't beat me. Unless, of course, you want to die..." She said, that challenging smile shining on her face.

Naruto's eyes widened. Akahana looked at him straight in the eyes. The images of her dreams shot back at her again. _'I thought they removed the genjutsu! He can't be back now, of all times!'_

"I'm not in the mood to talk right now." She said, walking away from him. "I mean what I say."

Nami and Kankuro were talking. "Don't expect me to let you win if we go against each other." Nami laughed at Kankuro's words, "HA! You know I could beat you any day, anytime, and anywhere!"

Kankuro smirked. "Is that so? And what if I do?" He asked, grinning to his best friend. "You can count on your ass being kicked." Nami answered, smiling brightly.

"Sure..." He said sarcastically, "And you can't even beat your own sister."

"Hey, she's kicked your ass every time you've fought against her Kankuro." Nami said with her arms crossed.

Kankuro sighed at her fact. Nami giggled, "What's wrong Kankuro? Just annoyed because all three girls you know could kick your ass?" Nami teased.

Kankuro turned away and blushed. "N-no..." He lied. Nami began to laugh, "Are you blushing?" She asked, holding back a giggle. Kankuro didn't answer, but he was still blushing.

Suddenly, the Procter turned around and showed a paper to all of them. "This is who you all will be competing with:

The proctor came through the stadium to face all of them. "All right, listen folks. These are the Genin you're going to be facing." He held up a large piece of paper for all ten of them to look at.

1st. Naruto Uzumaki VS. Akahana Otonashi

2nd. Kankuro VS. Nami Otonashi

3rd. Temari VS. Shikamaru Nara

4th. Sasuke Uchiha VS. Garra

5th: Neji Hyuga VS Kiba Inuzuka

"Well Kankuro-kun. Looks like I'm gonna proof what I said." Nami remarked, smiling at her next competitor.

Kankuro smirked. "Akahana's first. If she loses to Naruto, I'll think you are weak." He said simply.

"If she wins, you have to admit that I have a chance at winning. Deal?"

"Deal."

The proctor turned. "Akahana Otonashi and Naruto Uzumaki, stay here. Everyone else, go up there and wait for your turn to come." The rest of the competitors made their way up to the side of the stadium, where the proctor stayed with them.

Nami watched her sister intently with Kankuro. _'You can do this Akahana. I believe in you.'_

"Anything to say before the battle begins?" The proctor asked.

"Naruto, we're rivals now. We have to give it our all. But I already know something about you. You wouldn't give up your dreams for the world."

He nodded. "I won't give up. I'll win or die trying." Naruto said with determination in his eyes and voice.

"Fight!" The proctor shouted.

"Body Freeze Skill!" Akahana shouted, using her hand signs quickly and effectively. Naruto's body froze completely. Akahana kicked him in the stomach, shattering all of the ice off of him. He fell to the ground, almost everything on his body cut up.

He breathed harder, trying to rise. She punched him upwards in the face, sending him flying in the air. She followed him and kicked him as hard as she could in the air, sending him flying into the stadium wall. He flew through the wall, dust and rocks going everywhere.

Medics from the side automatically noticed his defeat, quickly going to his side. "And you had doubts about her?" Nami asked with a smirk, "She doesn't even have a scratch on her."

"Nami, have you ever seen Akahana this angry at her opponent before?" He asked with concern, watching the crowd cheer Akahana's name.

"No, I haven't. She's usually more kind..." Nami watched her sister as well, a worried expression on her face.

"She's worried...probably about Orochimaru's wager. She doesn't know what to pick yet and she's under so much stress with fighting Naruto AND about Orochimaru. Do you think she'll accept?"

Nami's eyes watered and she looked away, trying not to cry. Kankuro put a hand on Nami's shoulder. "Listen...if she does accept, I promise you anything, we'll go after her and change her ways." He whispered soft enough for only her to hear.

Nami swung her arms around Kankuro and sobbed into his shoulder. "Thank you Kankuro-kun."

She whispered softly. "Hey, don't mention it. I can help out with any of your problems." He told her softly, hugging her back. Nami looked at Kankuro and smiled with teary eyes, "You're the best." Nami smiled and kissed him on the cheek.

Kankuro blushed. "No problem, Nami."

Nami hugged him tightly and wiped her tear-filled eyes. "Nami...there's something I want to tell you that I've wanted to tell you for a long time..."

Nami's arms were still wrapped around Kankuro. "What is it?"

Before Kankuro could answer, the proctor shouted. "Akahana Otonashi wins!" The crowds cheer was deafening, and Akahana started to walk where Nami and Kankuro were.

"Kankuro VS. Nami Otonashi!" The proctor shouted, the crowds cheer growing even louder.

"I'll have to tell you later, come on!" Kankuro walked down to the field with Nami.

"Ready?" Nami asked grinning.

"You know it."

"GO!" The proctor hollered, and the match was started.


	4. Decision

Nami did ten hand signs in two seconds flat and behind her appeared a giant wave. "Water Style: Omni Tsunami Technique!"

The rivers surrounding the stadium rose, over lapping into the stadium. Kankuro and his puppet, Crow, jumped onto the wall and used to chakra to maintain balance on the wall and not be dragged in by the currents. The water kept rising and rising, and to his surprise, Nami wasn't getting dragged in, either.

The water protected her in its strong sphere, under all of the water being brought in. He had only seen her do this technique once before when she was training with Akahana and Temari. He had to find a way to get right above the sphere she was in and attack it, so then she would lose her focus on the sphere and the water would drain out.

Kankuro and Crow scaled the walls, above the audience and around the stadium. It wasn't hard to see the sphere from the difference angle he was in, being very much closer to her than before. He took a chance and jumped from the wall with all of his might, landing almost directly on top of the sphere

'His chakra…he's close.' She thought, keeping her hand sign steady.

"Ahhhhh!" Kankuro used the knife Crow had to pierce her sphere, but the unexpected happened. Just as he entered the sphere, she lashed a huge amount of water at him, knocking him out immediately.

All of the currents and waves disappeared out of the stadium quickly, leaving the ground soaked. Nami stood up and realized how wet she was. "Dammit, this sucks." She sighed, searching for Kankuro.

The proctor showed up out of nowhere and raised her hand, "Winner is, Nami Otonashi!" The proctor hollered. The crowds cheer was deafening, and the thought of winning made her smile. "Told you I would win, Kanku-" Nami turned and saw Kankuro knocked out cold on the ground and gasped, "KANKURO!" She shouted, leaving the proctor and heading to the opposite side of the stadium.

Nami came to his side, but before she could say anything the medics had already moved him onto a stretcher. "I'm sorry, but you'll have to wait until he is awake." The first medic said, carrying him with the second medic. The third medic turned to her, "Speaking of which, one of the competitors mentioned that they needed to see you. It was your sister, I believe."

'_Akahana, she' in trouble!' _Nami pushed her guilty thoughts of hurting Kankuro away and ran to the stands of where Temari and Garra and Akahana should have been.

She slowly walked in, and noticed something very wrong. Akahana was not in there. In fact, nobody was. Nami looked around.

"Akahana?" She kept walking, hoping to see her sister. She was looking for what seemed like forever until she heard it. The loudest crash was heard outside of the stadium, Akahana's scream following with it.

"AKAHANA!" Nami shouted and ran toward where the scream came from. Before Nami's eyes, Akahana was on the ground, grabbing her left hand in agony. Orochimaru was about a foot from her.

"If you weren't trying to stop me, you wouldn't have hurt your hand." His voice seemed to sliver into her mind, making Akahana even more pissed than she already was.

"Shut the fuck up, you damn snake!"

He laughed mockingly, coming closer to her.

Nami looked at her sister, and then set her gaze on Orochimaru, and shouted at the top of her lungs, "GET AWAY FROM HER!"

He turned to her. "Kabuto, why don't you take care of this loud mouth for me, will you?" He asked, his wicked smile forming. "Yes, my lord, with pleasure."

"What is it, Akahana? Too afraid to answer to my proposal, hmm?"

"What proposal? You said you wanted to wager with me!"

"More like an offer, if you ask me," Kabuto commented, laughing mockingly at both of them.

"Kabuto, take care of the girl."

Kabuto bowed to him, "Ah, yes my lord, and forgive my distraction."

He grabbed Nami and held her down, keeping her from doing anything. "Any last words_, Nami_?" Kabuto mocked her reaction.

"Don't hurt her!" Akahana shouted, barely strong enough to turn to him.

"Stop, Kabuto," Orochimaru demanded, and Kabuto stopped immediately.

"Now Akahana, shall you answer my offer, or shall your death be early?"

Akahana bit her lip in frustration and confusion, desperately looking for a way out of this. "I want you to answer a question for me before I answer anything."

"Yes, I suppose that would be fair. Talk,"

"Why me? Why, of all of the people in Konoha, no, _the world_, would you pick me?"

"Because, you have a special ability far greater than any other clan's."

Akahana's curiosity got the best of her. "What? I'm a part of a clan?"

"Don't listen to him, Akahana! He's trying to trick you!" Kabuto covered Nami's mouth quickly.

"Yes, a very ancient clan. In fact, I know what really happened to your mother and father."

Akahana's memories of her parents were faded, and she couldn't even remember what their names were. Nami, being the youngest, had never met them, and had little load on her shoulders because of that. She had always been a care free person.

She would risk everything just to find out. Her parents had always been her weakness, had always been what held her back, and the whole reason she took care of and watched out for Nami.

Akahana bit her lip, wishing there was another way. She had two options: finding out about the clan and family she had never met, or stay with her cheerful sister and her three friends she grew up with, not getting anywhere.

"AKAHANA! NO! DON'T DO IT!" Nami hollered.

_'I'm sorry Nami! I'm keeping my promise and making the right decision, for both of us.' _

"I have decided, Orochimaru..." She stood, and began to say.

Nami's eyes watered, "No..." Nami whispered. Akahana closed her eyes and smiled. "I will join you, for the sake of my clan, and to find out about the family I have never met."

Nami's hand was in such a tight fist her hand began to bleed. A tear rolled down her cheek as she looked at her sister with disgust.

Akahana gave her a sympathetic look, "This is for both of us, Nami. I told you I would do what was right for us. You know you've always wanted to know about our clan."

"Shall we go now?" Orochimaru asked her.

"Yes, please."

"Oh, before we go, we have to get Uchiha." Kabuto turned to Orochimaru.

Nami stood in the background, wanting to stop her so much, but found herself frozen still. "Alright, Akahana, we have to get one more person then we will bring you to my hideout." He told her. She nodded. Suddenly, all three of them disappeared.

Finally able to move, the only thing Nami could do was fall to her knees and cry. Cry for her loss. Cry for her disappointment. And more than anything cry for the broken heart she now had.


	5. Return

Nami had become absolutely devastated when her sister left. She became utterly confused about everything for weeks, and constantly told herself that Akahana had some kind of plan. She wasn't being as serious and acting perfectly fine when she joined Orochimaru. It was meant to trick him into buying into her game. She had hoped that that was it, and she would be back soon.

Yet, as time passed as fast as the wind, soon seemed to be so far away.

She grew colder with her words, and her personality changed completely. She wasn't the same young, vibrant, cheerful person she used to be. She felt false hope over the years, and knew she didn't have the strength to drag Akahana back.

Or to hear her hurtful words, telling her how much she just didn't want to.

After two years, the false hope turned into nothing. She became a more serious ninja, more dedicated to her job as a sensei to three students. The three of them had grown closer as another year had gone by.

After three years of waiting for Akahana, Kankuro had confessed his love for Nami to her. Nami couldn't have been happier, especially since it was also her seventeenth birthday. That night, she began thinking about what Akahana could have really wanted from Orochimaru.

She vaguely remembered him mentioning that the two of them had a clan, but Nami knew better. After everything she had been through, she couldn't even believe herself anymore.

She knew Orochimaru had won the battle. He was probably using Akahana as his puppet, controlling every move she made, and how well she did it. With every string that moved, another second would pass as she took a breath. For four years now she wanted to gather the strength to cut those strings away from his fingers.

She desperately wanted Akahana to be free.

Kankuro had grown a bit of hatred for Akahana, mostly because she hurt Nami so bad. He wanted more than anything to bring his childhood friend back, kick her ass, and hope that will bring her back to her senses.

He was just as worried about her as Nami was. The best he could do to help Nami was to kiss her and take her mind off of it, or comfort her in her time of need.

Sometimes he felt like dropping everything and leaving to go find Akahana. Every time the gang would hang out together, it would be incomplete. Every New Year that passed, the couple would wish the same wish every time.

Temari seemed to be at a loss, too, because she and Akahana used to spend so much time together. She would tell Nami that Akahana would never betray them. Never in a million years.

After another year had passed, she ultimately gave up. She realized how her sister had held her back from preforming her duties as a sensei and a ninja for the past five years. Naruto and Sakura had become great friends with her, but only because they had one thing in common.

They too had lost a friend to Orochimaru. On the same day, even. Nami would grieve that day every time it came by. It was even difficult to go back to the stadium.

Finally, after half a decade had passed, she got a sign. Villagers mentioned four people that seemed familiar enter Konoha not too long ago. She figured it could have been Akahana and Sasuke, but knew it would've been different.

That is, if Akahana had become that cold hearted to ignore her.

She continued doing her daily things, like hanging out with Kankuro and going on missions with her students. Kankuro seemed to calm her when anything seemed bad, and it would flip over to something better than good. All in all, it would be wonderful.

One beautiful, summer morning in Konohagakure, Nami woke to the birds chirping outside her window. The sun shone through vibrantly, showing off its beauty where ever it could sneak into. She stretched out of bed and noticed one thing: Kankuro was gone.

Kankuro had never left without leaving a note, or anything that would tell her where he had gone. She knew something had happened, and she was about to figure out what.

She quickly got dressed and headed outside. The village was more crowded today than any other day, villagers heading in one direction of the city. One of the villagers had come up to her, "Nami, did you hear? The two ninjas Orochimaru had taken five years ago have returned!"

Nami couldn't move. Either that or she just didn't want to. After all those years of grieving over her loss, she just couldn't believe it. Maybe, just maybe, she had been right about Akahana having a plan. It could have just token her long to do it.

Her legs seemed to move on their own, never stopping and ongoing. She trailed through the village and came to a stop at the large river that separated both sides of the village. Sure enough, everyone was right.

Akahana and Sasuke had returned.

She heard footsteps behind her, following her to the river.

"Sasuke!" She heard Sakura gasp, slowly walking over to him.

Naruto grabbed her arm, stopping her. She gave him the most pained expression she could've ever seen. Naruto turned to Nami, and she nodded to him.

"We have a few questions for you." Naruto stepped in front of Sakura, almost as if he were acting as a shield.

Sasuke's eyes trailed to the ground, and he bit his lip in pain. Nami noticed how he seemed like he were feeling agony flood through him, and the pain followed him to his eyes.

"Yes?" Sasuke's eyes met back up to his.

"Why the hell did you leave? Why were you gone so long? You have no idea how worried we were!"

"First and foremost, we escaped from Orochimaru."

Nami turned to her sister who answered, looking a lot older and much more mature.

"You what?" Nami could help the words from escaping her mouth.

Akahana turned to Nami. "Listen, Nami…I know no matter how many times I may say sorry that it wouldn't help. I did what was best, and-"

Kankuro showed up out of nowhere, gripping her shirt. "_You_ think _you_ did what was best? Did ever think of everyone else's feelings, Akahana? Like your sisters, or Temari's? Or even mine? You have absolutely no idea how long Nami had been grieving over you, or how worried she's been. You just have no idea." He burned a hole through her eyes.

Sasuke threw Kankuro off of her, "Get off of her! She doesn't want to hear that!"

Kankuro rose back up quickly, mockingly laughing at both of them, "Who the hell would? It's not my fault she caused the love of my life so much pain."

Sasuke seemed to be caught off guard by his remark, turning back to Akahana. The pale blonde gave her sister an apologetic look. "I'm…I'm really sorry. I didn't mean for it to come out like that."

Nami held a blank expression on her face, just waiting for her to come out with a lie.

"We escaped from Orochimaru's hideout because he tried to kill us."

Nami's eyes widened, being caught off guard. "Why? I thought he wanted you to help him with his offer."

"Yes, that's what we thought as well. He lied to us for two years, and attempted to use us as his experiments for the next three."

Sasuke nodded, "Yes, and…he tried to hurt Tenshi and Daisuke."

The four of them held confusion on their faces.

"Who…" Nami started.

"Are…" Naruto added.

"They?" Kankuro asked, finishing their question.

Akahana smiled happily. "Our children."

Nami began to cry, realizing she had taken all of these years the wrong way. The whole time she thought Akahana had betrayed the village, but instead she had actually been right all along.

Orochimaru had been controlling her like a puppet, using the strings to his every will.

The next thing she knew, Akahana's warm embrace wrapped her body, yet Akahana's was smaller than normal. It was as if she hadn't eaten in days.

Nami cried in her shoulder letting all of the pain out. Kankuro placed his hand on her shoulder, letting her know it was all right.

Nami wiped her eyes, staring at her sister in the eyes. "You've changed so much, why did you just leave the way you did?"

Akahana nodded to her, "I…I never met our parents. Five years ago, it was one of my goals to find out if there was a chance they were still alive. After I found out the truth, Sasuke and I tried to kill Orochimaru. Before we could try, he threatened to hurt Tenshi and Daisuke."

Nami wiped her eyes again, "_That's_ the real why you left?"

"Yeah, it's always been."

Nami's face lit up, "So you were never betraying us?"

Akahana looked hurt to hear that, and literally stumbled backwards. "O-of course not! I didn't go to him just for me, you know. I also did it for you."

"It didn't help her any." Kankuro commented. Nami slapped his arm, "Let her talk!"

Kankuro rubbed his arm, "Ow! Jeez, I was just saying…"

Nami giggled, "Anyway, you were saying?"

"You never knew anything about mom and dad, or the clan you never knew we had, right?"

Nami looked astonished, "You're lying."

Akahana laughed at her reaction, "I'll show you what we can do."

She stood back from everyone else carefully, checking out her surroundings. She lifted her head towards the sky and took a deep breath. She made several different hand signs and stopped at one, the very one Nami remembered Akahana using at the Chuunin Exams several years before.

Her arms slowly started to turn to ice, moving like a plague though out her entire body. It went over her face and stopped at her hairline. It was quiet for a few seconds, and then her hand extended out, instantly creating a crystal like sword in her hand. She looked as if she were wearing a suit of armor, but made of ice.

The suit sparkled in the summer sun, but even close to melting.

"Whoa," Nami stepped closer to her, "We, I mean, our clan can do that?"

Akahana nodded, "Our ability is using any of the elements to our disposal. Though if I were you, I would use the elements you are best at using."

"Oh, I'm really good at water and fire based moves. What's the name of our ability?"

The ice on Akahana slowly disappeared to her command, slithering back into her palm.

"We have what is called Erementaru Shuraudo, or Elemental Shroud Technique. It is a very rare technique that consists of moving your chakra to a certain spot in your palm, which those of the Otonashi clan only have. I'll practice it with you some other time if you want me too."

"Yeah, sure. I have no idea when, because as a sensei I go on missions frequently with my team."

Akahana's eyebrow's rose in surprise, "Wow. You're a sensei? I would have never guessed."

Nami smiled, "I want to ask you a few more questions."

"Alright, go ahead."

"Where are Tenshi and Daisuke, and what did you find out about mom and dad?"

Akahana nodded, "They're with a friend of ours. Our parents, well…I couldn't find any information on mom, but I found a few things on dad."

Nami' face lit up, "Are you serious? What did you find?"

Akahana nodded, "He is somewhere in the Rock Country, that's honestly all I could find on his location." Akahana looked around, feeling something was coming.

"We need to get somewhere safer, guys. Something's coming."

Nami and the others seemed to feel the different chakras coming their way. "My guess is it could be Anbu. They must've heard about your return."

Akahana nodded. "Let's go."

The six of them left the river and headed towards a small house close to the village, but most certainly not noticeable. Akahana stopped at the front door, "This house is my friend Mana's. I met her while she was working for Orochimaru, and she actually escaped with us a few days ago."

With that she opened the door and walked in casually, "Mana! Tenshi! Daisuke! We're back!" Sasuke came next to her as a small boy whom had a striking resemblance to Sasuke, but with gorgeous azure eyes, jumped onto him and hugged his neck. A smaller girl, whom looked much younger, had pale blond hair and azure eyes, having the face of Sasuke's but her mother's features.

"I missed you mommy." Tenshi hugged her mother and smiled.

"I missed you too, baby."

Akahana let go of her and turned to the gang behind her, who were utterly astonished.

Except Nami, on the other hand, who was pinching Daisuke's cheeks. "You are so cute!"

Everyone anime sweat dropped, "Haha, anyway…"

An older woman with long turquoise hair and lavender eyes walked in. "Glad to see you're both back. Tenshi and Daisuke were very worried."

Sasuke laughed, "We weren't gone that long, were we."

He ruffled Daisuke's hair as the little boy grinned. Everyone sat in the living room as Mana left to make tea.

"Sasuke, why did you leave? Kakashi sensei and Sakura and I have been worried sick! You realize Orochimaru is going to come back for you guys, right? He's been playing both of you like puppets."

Nami was glad to hear her thoughts come out of someone else's mouth.

Sasuke nodded, "We'll be ready for him. With everyone's help, we should be able to take him on."

"Why, Sasuke! Why did you go?" Sakura pounded her fist onto the floor, cracking a bit.

Mana came in at the same time it happened. "You're paying for that." She placed tea on the table for everyone.

Sasuke sighed, "Sakura…"

"Why? You knew I loved you, and you still left!" Her cheeks grew warm with embarrassment, everyone's eyes on her.

Sasuke turned to her, "I left because I knew I wasn't strong enough to protect you guys. I only think of you as a friend, Sakura. I'm sorry."

The pinkette ninja left, the blonde following after her. "Wait, Sakura!"

Mana watched her leave, "Is she going to fix this? She better have some money." Mana left outside to find her.

Everyone anime sweat dropped. Akahana laughed a bit, holding Tenshi on her lap.

"Oh yeah, Akahana…"Nami began, turning towards her sister, "what happened to the rest of our clan?"

Akahana bit her lip in frustration, "Orochimaru, he…killed them all, several years before we were born. Mom and dad were the last survivors, and then something happened to mom, and then there's dad. I want to find out if he's still in the rock country."

Nami clenched her fists, "That monster! I can't believe he did that!"

Akahana nodded, "I know, I know. It's-"

Mana randomly came in again, holding a pink wallet. "This should do the trick."

"Uh, Mana? What did you do to Sakura?" Akahana anime sweat dropped.

Mana laughed, "Oh, I'm just borrowing the money I need to fix that…really, really long crack, but don't fret, I shall give it back to her when it's fixed."

Everyone anime sweat dropped, watching Mana laugh once again. Even through everything that had happened over the past five years, Nami had never felt happier in her life.


	6. Rescue

Ever since Akahana had come back to Konoha, Nami's world has seemed to flip back over to its rightful place, just as it was five years ago. She began to learn about her clan and her family from the past, and how the ever so murderous and cold hearted Orochimaru ruthlessly slaughtered her clan. Yet somewhere along the lines, her father was somewhere in the Hidden Rock Village alive.

Often when she had a day off and was alone at the time, she would contemplate about getting revenge. After all, he did take her sister and her friend's friend away for half a decade. On top of that was the fact that he murdered her clan and killed the mother she had never met. Hell, the bastard was probably out looking for Akahana and Sasuke right now.

The Anbu themselves were searching for them as well. Akahana had told her (when her children weren't around) that if _anything_ were to happen to her and Sasuke, that Nami had custody of her children. The younger sister felt ecstatic that her sister had said that, but didn't deny that she would've told her that at a different time. Sasuke would often be apprehensive about the fact that he and his wife were Missing Nins, but it was mostly because he didn't want his children to be influenced by their actions in the future. If anything, hell, he would give _anything_ to change his past. He loved Tenshi and Daisuke dearly, and if he were to get caught, he didn't want the Anbu to know anything about his children.

When Nami had noticed his love for her niece and nephew, she realized just how much of his trust he was giving to her. Being a sensei, and a high class Jounin, she figured she could handle it. So, in other words, being a missing ninja was certainly not all that it's cracked up to be.

Because Akahana's friend, Mana, had to have her floor repaired after Sakura had caused a scene in her home, the family of four had to find another home to stay. Nami, being her loving, red headed sister, let her sister's family move in to her and Kankuro's three bed room home. Her boyfriend didn't mind having his best friend around, but he wasn't completely ecstatic over it, either. Akahana felt that he could be still mad at her. She didn't blame him one bit.

As soon as Kankuro knew Akahana was coming to stay with Nami, he told his older sister. Temari said she'd make it to the Hidden Leaf Village in about three days. At the moment, the six of them were currently waiting for her to arrive.

"Aunt Nami, come look, come look!" Tiny footsteps made their way through out the house, stopping in the kitchen. Nami was currently making dinner, and put down her bowl of rice to turn her attention to her young niece.

"What is it, Tenshi?" The pale blond girl whom had a striking resemblance to Sasuke handed her aunt a small picture she had drawn. The picture had everyone in it, and it seemed she couldn't draw Kankuro very well. The red head giggled, "It's really good, Tenshi!"

The young girl's eyes grew wide, "You really think so? The big snake man always said I couldn't draw at all."

Hearing that hurt Nami inside, knowing that her little niece had to put up with such an awful person. She didn't understand how Akahana and Sasuke could take it, having their own child possibly born in that hell hole.

Nami ruffled the young child's hair, giving her a warm smile. "Don't worry, Tenshi. The big snake man's gone now."

The young girl giggled, "I'm glad." She handed Nami the picture and sprinted out of the room.

"Ow, Tenshi!" Daisuke shouted from the other room, and the little girl's giggle came after his voice.

Nami smiled at the girl's cuteness, turning back to the bowl of rice and dumping it carefully into a large pot to boil. After she did that, she set the bowl back on the counter, and then grabbed a large wooden spoon and began stirring the rice.

Suddenly, the most unbearable, chill feeling ran down her spine. The need to scream was itching to come out, but she kept herself under control. She had to, especially for her niece and nephew.

The older pale blonde haired sister walked in the kitchen and noticed Nami staring down into the pot with a blank expression, and hidden beneath that expression was the chill feeling that something horrific is going to happen to her today. The most frightening part about it was how her sister had just come back home. _'Nothing could possibly get any worse than it was before.' _The red head thought, watching as the rice boiled the way she wanted it to.

"Hey, Nami, are you alright?"

Nami jumped when she heard her sister's voice, astonished by the fact she hadn't even heard her come in. "W-whoa, how did you-"

Akahana laughed, seeing how easy it was to scare her sister. "Are you alright? You were just standing there like a statue."

The red head bit her lip, not wanting to tell her what she was really feeling. "I'm fine, I'm fine. Just making sure the food is cooking well."

The pale blonde raised a brow at her sister, "Well, alright then. Do you need some help?"

"No, I can do it myself. I've been cooking for Kankuro for three years, ya know. I'm a pretty good cook if I say so myself."

Akahana nodded, "Yeah, about that. Nami, I-"

Kankuro suddenly came into the kitchen, "Damn, that was some good training. Sasuke's pretty strong; he almost had me beat several times. Huh?" He glanced from Akahana to Nami, and then scratched the back of his head. "What happened?"

Nami placed her large wooden spoon down and then spun around to face him. "Nothing. We were just talking, that's all." Kankuro stared into her azure eyes, knowing exactly when his girlfriend and best friend was lying to him. He sighed, knowing he'd have his chance to ask later.

"Alright, I'm going to take a quick shower. I'll be back before you know it." The puppet master wrapped his arms around Nami's waist and kissed her lips passionately, as she wrapped her hands around his neck. Nami broke the kiss and stared into his chocolate colored eyes, and then gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "Temari should be here soon, right? I better finish dinner before it burns." Kankuro nodded to her and left the room.

Akahana stood up and walked over to her sister by the stove, watching her sister's facial expressions carefully, but at a glance. It was never hard to tell when something was bothering her sister. Her long crimson hair covered her face completely, and she seemed to be in her own world.

Nami stirred the rice carefully, and then turned off the burner on the stove. Akahana laid bowls out for Nami to fill while she added extra ingredients to the rice. After mixing it all together, she poured it all into each bowl, and then left the empty rice bowl in the sink.

"Tenshi, Daisuke! Dinner's ready!" Akahana called for them, and not even two minutes later did they hear tiny footsteps enter the kitchen and sit at the table. Akahana sat next to Daisuke, ruffling her sons charcoal hair.

"Mommy, where's Daddy?" Tenshi asked, showing a bit of concern in her eyes. Her mother turned to Daisuke, and then looked around.

"That's odd. Your father is usually here by now; I'll go see where he is." With that, Akahana left the kitchen to search for Sasuke.

Nami set out bowls for Tenshi and Daisuke, and quickly went to the bathroom to see if she could try to calm down a bit. Splashing cold water on her face seemed to help a lot of things recently. Opening the bathroom cabinet, she took out a small wash cloth and put it to the side. She turned on the faucet and splashed the cold water on her face, but it didn't help. She drenched the washcloth under the running water and rubbed her face with it, but that didn't seem to help either. _'So, something's really going to happen. This is real.'_

Taking a deep breath, she thought of everything that had happened, and who she needed to protect first. She went back to the kitchen to see that her niece and nephew had already finished eating. "Aunt Nami, what's going on? Where are mom and dad?" Daisuke asked, his brows furrowing as he spoke.

It clicked in her head like a thought that had rained out of existence for a little while, but was still there to haunt her. Akahana and Sasuke could have been caught by the Anbu, or Orochimaru could have found them, or-

"Aunt Nami, how come you look so scared?"

Nami bit her lip, confused beyond words. How in the world could she help her sister and her husband when she also has to protect her children?

"Hmm? What's going on? Who're these brats?"

The red head turned around. Nami's entire face brightened, knowing that voice from anywhere. "Temari! Thank goodness you're here!"

"So where's Akahana-chan? I thought Kankuro said she'd be here."

"And she is!" Kankuro came back into the kitchen with a blue towel hanging around his neck and another one around his waist.

Temari anime sweat dropped, "Oh please, Kankuro! You could've at least gotten dressed before you came out!"

Kankuro laughed, "My house, my rules, Temari." The older sister rolled her eyes. He was about to leave the kitchen when he noticed what Temari was just talking about. "Where…is Akahana, Nami?" He turned back around to face her, and all four of their eyes rested on her.

"I…I honestly couldn't tell you. Sasuke and Kankuro were-"

"Whoa, whoa, slow down there. Why was Sasuke Uchiha, a rogue ninja on the run, doing here?"

"Well, you see…"

Nami explained everything to Temari about how she had token everything the wrong way, and how Akahana and Sasuke had met at Orochimaru's lair, and most importantly, who Tenshi and Daisuke were.

"WHAT! She has…_kids_?" Temari almost literally spat out the word, in which the two Uchiha's gave her a dirty look. "What's so wrong with being a kid? At least we're not as old as you."

"What was that kid?" Temari was about to grab his collar when the red head came between them. "Stop, Temari! He's barely six years old!"

"Hmph, he talks big for a six year old." Temari turned her back on all of them, and Kankuro and Nami anime sweat dropped.

"Anyway, there's something I was wondering you could do for me."

Temari raised a brow, "You know I would do anything for my sister."

"Could you…could you possibly watch the kids while I'm gone? The Anbu can't find out about them."

"Oh, _fine_. You better be back soon, though. In fact, better be back alive, Nami. I'm counting on you."

Nami nodded, determination flooding her emotions. "Of course."

"Wait a sec; I'm not letting you go alone. What if they kidnapped you, or-"

"I…I'll be alright, Kankuro. Please, look after them." Kankuro had lived with Nami for three years now, and could always tell her emotions. At the moment, the way she was feeling frightened him as well.

Nami wasn't sure if she was going to be okay.

Kankuro opened his mouth to protested, but Temari cut him off. "She's right, Kankuro. She'll be okay."

The puppet master shook his head, "Come back safe, okay? I wouldn't be able to bear it if…" He couldn't finish his sentence, and showed the soft, painful side of Kankuro that Nami had only seen rarely since they were children.

"I promise." With that, the red head grabbed her weapons and left with a good feeling about where Akahana and Sasuke would be.

The sun had just begun to sink, and touches of pink, red, and yellow streamed across the sky, as if the sun itself had become tired from shining down on the Earth, and was now hiding itself away for now. It seemed utterly stern, like it was a sign of some sort. The red headed ninja began to shudder, hoping that her sister and her husband are okay.

The streets of Konohagakure seemed to stretch on forever, and each step she took seemed to lead another step into disaster. It was common for Nami to get into dangerous situations, but this time, she wished it weren't true.

Feeling an unfamiliar chakra close by, she walked a bit closer to the person, but leaving enough room to keep her distance. An ivory haired man emerged from the shadows with a huge sly smile on his face. He wore silver medium sized glasses that fit his face perfectly, not too big or too small.

He roared out a wicked, twisted laughter when he noticed her. It was one used for frightening people, Nami guessed. Though, it had no effect on the red head. She felt cautious, and unlike all of her other opponents she had faced before, she was unable to predict what he would do next.

Having no kunai, let alone the usual belt that held pouches for weapons, he seemed like a man with a reputation for scaring people. She anime sweat dropped, and after his third round of laughing, she finally asked, "Are you finished?"

He stopped laughing, and his murky chocolate eyes gave her a corrupt, piercing stare, as if he could see right through her. Soonly, he realized how much he underestimated her, and sighed, seeing he couldn't scare her. She saw something flash before his eyes, and his disappointed expression faltered into an amused gaze.

The rose haired ninja scoffed at him, giving him a contemptible glance. "What are you supposed to be? I figured that if someone's fallowing me, they would at _least_ be a ninja."

The silver haired man almost literally barked at her question. "Is that supposed to be a joke? You underestimate me."

Nami shrugs her shoulders, "I never said that."

The man raises a brow, "No, but I could tell that you were thinking-"

"Hmm? Are you a mind reader now? You seem like a demented old man to me."

The man looked confused. "Your hair's white." She says bluntly.

Hearing that, the man looked as if he might just explode right then and there. "I-I-It's SILVER! SILVER, damn you!" He blushes a slight pink in embarrassment, rolling up his sleeve and charging at the rose haired girl.

Nami dodged him easily; flipping to her right as his shoulder brushed passed her. He hit the brick building head on, obtaining a bloody nose in the process. He stumbled backwards, falling on his butt in pain. His eyes flashed an idea, and his brows furrowed angrily. "No one lives tonight, damn brat!"

He randomly slashes out a kunai from his back pocket. It came so fast, Nami had no idea where to run. She gasped, seeing a large shadow fall over her. A person—a tall, muscular, skinny man—deflected the kunai that was just thrown. He didn't look familiar at all, but there was something about him that made her smile.

He looked as if he were six feet and five inches tall, with a sexy masculine build and long blonde hair in a high-ish pony tail. A long, thin sheath is strapped around his back. He wears a tight outfit; a sleeveless midnight black shirt with a fishnet under it, and thin ankle length black pants to match. He, too, had a belt consisting of pouches of weapons. The clothing hugged him, showing off his slim body.

"What? Another brat to deal with?" The delusional man had another fit of laughter. "Oh well, I'll just take you both down. After all, he should be finished with them pretty soon."

Nami's eyes widened. _'Them? Then that means…' _She whispered, "Thank you," to the blonde, and then used genjutsu to disappear from the area. The sense of Akahana's chakra was close by, and it became clearer that Sasuke, unconscious or not, was not with her sister.

"W-wait!" The blonde man called after her, but unsuccessfully had not managed to stop her. He had recognized her as Nami Otonashi, a well-known sensei in Konoha, but kept his mouth shut for now. He didn't know what ties she had with this man, but they were obviously not very good.

The silver haired man laughed mockingly, "Trying to play 'hero', eh? Your chakra is very weak. How do you expect to win?"

The blonde man chuckled, his long blonde hair moving a bit as he did. "You are sadly mistaken."

The silver haired man raised an amused brow, "Is that so? Hmm, I guess you should know the name of the man who kills you."

He gave the blonde a very determined stare, meaning every word he spoke. "I am Kabuto Yakushi, Lord Orochimaru's right hand man," His brown eyes dissolved any traces of amusement and changed strictly to a serious expression. He randomly took out needles that were as long as his fingers, which seemed as if they were as long as meters stick. "Prepare to die!"

* * *

Nami raced through the forest, glancing in every possible direction that her sister's chakra signal seemed to give off the most. It was like a maze; there was no way out. Every turn would either bring a dead end or there wouldn't be anyone there. At times like this, she wished she had Kankuro or the other two sand sibs with her. She knew it would present her as weak if she turned back now. Who knew what Orochimaru could be doing to her brother-in-law and sister? Hell, what _wouldn't_ he do?

He'd already confused her to think her own sister had betrayed her. She wouldn't let that happen again. _'Over my dead body.' _The red head thought, biting her lip in frustration. Coming to a meadow, she paused her running to catch her breath, only to hear a shrill scream coming a few feet up ahead. It sent unbelievable chills up and down her spine, and it was a few minutes later that she could move again.

To be honest, she was terrified to face the man that took his sister away. She slowly walked through the unusually higher grass, only to see just what she expected. Akahana laid half-conscious on the cold ground, clearly shivering in fear. Her arms were cut badly, and it looked as if there were a gash right over her right eye that had missed her eyes completely, the massive cut going through her eyebrow and stopping at her cheek bone. She was clenching her knuckles until they were white, her bright blue eyes surging with anger towards the villain in front of her.

Sasuke hovered over her slightly, facing the snake man bravely. He, too, had many cuts and bruises, but seemed as if he could pass out at any given moment. His eyes glow the sharingan, yet it was not the same one she had seen at the Chuunin Exams. It had much more detail, and made him look so…_distant_.

She hadn't noticed it before, but she knew his past had explained a lot of his reasoning. He had her sister and his children after all. Unless he believed it was the end for him, and was afraid to leave her alone? Nami fought back the urge of tears, and stepped out more into the sunlight so they would notice her entrance.

Everyone shifted their gaze towards Nami, only to receive a gasp from Akahana. "Turn around, get away from here!" She shouted in complete and utter terror, but Nami just shook her head 'no'. The snake man seemed shocked as she swiftly took a kunai out of one of her pouches from her belt and pressed it into his neck harshly, fresh, red blood streaming down his neck endlessly. Coming back to reality, he kneed her in the stomach and smacked the kunai away.

The red head had never felt a pain worse than what she was feeling. It felt as if he had at least cracked one of her ribs, if not any. He knelt to her eye level, capturing her bright blue eyes in his golden orbs. "You will not get away with this, brat." He spat out, kicking her in the ribs again. She cried out in pain, "Stop! Stop, please!"

The young Uchiha wrapped his hands around the snake man's neck spontaneously, trying to get him off of his sister-in-law. He quickly started to lose his breath, tumbling backwards and trying vigorously to rip Sasuke's hands off of his neck.

Nami crawled over to Akahana, a million thoughts and wishes going through her head. She hadn't ever wished for anything terrible to happen to her sister. She wanted everything to be as they were before. Before Orochimaru came, before the half decade had passed, and before Akahana had had those nightmares. All of everything was slowly slipping out of her grasp with every breath she inhaled, and slight regret filled each thought with every breath lost.

Touching her sister's cheek, she felt the warm tears falling from her bright blue eyes onto her hand, brushing away loose strands of her blonde hair. Akahana's warm smile seemed to tighten her throat and the words and thoughts she wanted to share disappeared with the tears she shed.

Akahana's eyes suddenly widened, and at the same time Nami felt a familiar presence coming from behind. She turned around quickly; ready to protect her sister, when she became just as shocked as her sister.

"It's…you!"


End file.
